Former President Trump on Tuesday defended an alleged conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving the White House, although he denied that the conversation ever took place.
In an interview at the Chicago Economic Forum, President Trump was asked by Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait about a report in Bob Woodward's new book that he met with President Putin after leaving office.
“I won't comment on that, but if I were to comment, I would say it's a smart thing to do,” Trump said. “If I'm friendly with people, if I have relationships with people, that's good, not bad. … He has 2,000 nuclear weapons, and we… So is it.”
Woodward's book “War'' revealed that the two leaders have been in secret contact over the past few years and have met at least seven times since Trump left office. The book also claimed that the Republican candidate sent COVID-19 testing equipment to Putin early in the pandemic while he was still in office.
The Kremlin later acknowledged that President Trump had sent the test.
The revelation, denied by the Trump team and partially acknowledged by the Kremlin, raises new questions about the nature and legality of the relationship between the two men, one of whom is an avowed enemy of the United States. .
President Trump has repeatedly touted his strong personal relationship with Putin and suggested it would benefit the United States if re-elected.
